The shape of the traditional bicycle seat has remained fairly consistent over time. The shape generally characterized by a wide posterior section connected to a narrow anterior section is functional but often causes rider discomfort and potential injury with prolonged periods of use. The discomfort and injury are usually the result of the seat not properly positioning the weight of a rider's upper body on the bones of the pelvis designed to support that weight.
In an ideal situation, when in the seated position, the weight of the human torso should rest primarily on the ischial tuberous bones. The typical prior art bicycle seat does not provide proper anatomical support for the ischial tuberous bones and therefore a bicycle rider's body weight is incorrectly shifted to the sensitive soft tissue areas of the perineum. The ischial tuberosities are the bones of the pelvis that support the weight of the body when in the sitting position. Furthermore, in the typical prior art bicycle seat, the weight of the male upper body rests on the soft tissues of and around the urethral duct and external genitalia instead of the ischial tuberous bones. Pressure from a rider's body weight on these areas can and does cause discomfort and injury. For example, unnatural pressure on the perineal area while straddling a bicycle seat can compress and temporarily occlude penile blood flow. The lining vessels of the compressed arteries can become damaged, thus leading to potential permanent artery blockage and erectile dysfunction. The pressure and the damage may also extend to the perineal membrane and the urogenital diaphragm, which can increase the risk of sexual disorders.
Another health risk is inflammation of the bulbourethral gland and the epidymis of the testicles. Damage to these areas can cause impotence and other more severe pathological complications. The narrow anterior section of the typical prior art bicycle seat used to control and stabilize the bicycle forces the testicles of the rider to either side of the anterior section where they can be squeezed between the bicycle seat and the thigh of the rider. This pressure not only can cause inflammation of the genitalia, but also impedes leg movement.
A wide variety of bicycle seats are known in the art. However, the prior art does not provide a bicycle seat with a correctly configured anatomical shape that can support and protect the external genitalia of the male body while concurrently positioning the pressure of the rider's upper body weight away from the perineal area.
International Application No. PCT/US91/09687 to Yates discloses a bicycle seat having a horn member with a generally horizontal upper surface and a rearwardly disposed laterally flaring cantle thrust plate member. Yates further discloses a highly elevated, forwardly projecting cantle thrust member conforming to the near vertical portion of the right and left posterior ischium. The pressure relief to the perineum afforded by this device is operable when aggressively pedaling and applying rearward pressure against the anatomically shaped cantle. The external genitalia of the male rider are forced to one side or the other of the horn member and typical body weight pressures will exist during times of coasting or non-pedaling.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,422 to West, III. discloses a bicycle seat having a narrow anterior portion which broadens to a wider posterior portion and further includes a central arrowhead shaped “cut-out”. The “cut-out” provides relief for the rider's external genitalia but no relief for the perineum area is disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,309 to Gooter et al. discloses a bicycle seat for supporting the buttocks of a bicycle rider when the rider shifts his position on the seat between three specific positions. The disclosed seat is horseshoe shaped and includes a dual horn configuration with an elongated open space between intended to provide relief for the perineal area. The open area is not anatomically shaped, and does not provide adequate space for the male genitalia. The genitals of the male rider are unsupported and can be squeezed by the device's anterior portion by the weight of the rider.